Notes on a Cruise in the Southern 

 China Sea. 



G. BODEN KLOSS. 



In 1900 I spent about eleven weeks, including the months of 

 August and September, cruising about with Dr. W. L. Abbott 

 in his Schooner "Terrapin" which had just been launched. Our 

 purpose was to make collections of mammals and birds and of 

 any other objects zoological that might fall in our way. As 

 the islands of the Southern China Sea amongst which the time 

 was spent, have received either but scanty notice or none at all, 

 the following pages may have some interest. Unfortunately 

 for the present purpose I kept only the very baldest log of 

 our voyage so that the account of our experiences, drawn up 

 after an interval of three years, is far from being as satisfactory 

 as I could wish. 



I was unable to accompany the schooner when she sailed 

 at the beginning of July so arranged to join her at Linga, and 

 in the middle of the month therefore left Singapore in the 

 S. S. Malacca. 



We stopped a night at Rhio en route and I was thus enabled 

 to get from the Resident a permit to travel in the Rhio-Linga 

 Dependency in which the whole of our cruise was to take place. 

 The town of Rhio is prettily situated and laid out, but very small 

 and quiet; it possesses an hotel and a good fruit-market: every 

 other one of its shops appears to be run as a pawn- broking 

 establishment. A long walk in the surrounding country showed 

 me nothing more inviting than clayey hills covered with 

 bracken and the S'ndudu tree (Melastoma polyanthum), find 

 everywhere dotted with Chinese tombs. 



From Rhio to Linga — we called at Sinkep Island on the 

 way with provisions for the tin mines — was, I think, four 

 days steaming through smooth seas and £reen islands. The 

 Macassar is an old wooden tub capable of doing about 7 knots 

 in calm water with the wind astern. The only accommodation 



R. A. Soc, No. 41, 1903. 



